The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-24
ACROSS TIE OCEAN IN JUNE
The Worthlessness of the Advice Ladled
Out to inexperienced VOyagers.
How the Eleven Hundred Passengers on Board
a Huge Atlantic Liner Passed the Time
During Their Seven Days Passage.


/ OLD ENGLAND, July, 1587.-"Praise the
bridge that carries you safely over. is sufficient
warrant for a kind word for the City of Rome,
| which landed me in Liverpool on the eighth day
| ont from New YORK, after passage uneventful
| from the points of view of sailor, but full OF
| interest and even incident to landsman The
City of Rome is the largest ship in active service.
| six hundred and forty feet in length, with prom
enade decks of four hundred feet, and all else in
| equally colossal proportions, and appointed and
| managed upon a correspondingly comprehensive
| scale AS the ship stood at rest in the middle of
the Mersey off her landing dock. she looked
| little inferior in size to the famous Great
| Eastern, which rode at not many furongs
distant, while she exhibited the feminine spirit
OF superiority of quality quantity. The
! Great Eastern is a mere gigantic tender,
coal carrier. while the City of Rome had just
safely brought over the goodly company of
LII persons This particular trip also Of
| special moment in that it the last one I'M
| der the command of Captain Munro. a veteran
seaman of ffty-one years experience. twenty
| two Of which have been spent in the employ of
| the Anchor line, and many in command of the
star ship of thakr world-wid service. If there
ever was an ideal captain, it is Captain Munro
| courteous and dignifed, man of few words,
| but of gentle manner, he is gentleman as we'll
as a sailor. He told me of his long life at sea;
| of the responsibilities he has carried and
/ carrying; that his only thought was to land his
| passengers safe and sound on solid ground, and
| that to do that he must often be on duty twenty
| four to thirty-six hours at stretch. He could
leave 'the bridge" for little while, when every
| thing going well; but STILL though sixty
four years of age, he had not infrequently stood
| upon his feet for the time mentioned. because,
81 FL 1EEo~
still "the responsibility could not be divided"
| Captain Munro has amassed competence during
his seafarine life, and he retires to the COM
| pany of his wife and family in their home among
| the hills of Aberdeenshire. 1t
| empty form when the four hundred and odd
saloon passengers met and testified, by ad
dresses and formal expression that is to grace
the old captains Scottish home. their respect
for one who had so rounded out long and use
full life with honor. The captain, Com
mauder Young, who comes off the Furnessla,
on board, and received the plaudits of the
company; but there is a difference between him
that putteth the harness and him that putteth
it off. 1 learned to respect Captain Munro
greatly during the eight days Of the yoy
age, and must express the hope that the winds
from off the highlands will with loving
touch the bronzed cheek of the rare old man,
which have had much to do with reckoning him
from the stormy that has been his mistress
and his companion for fifty years.
There is deal of first-class humbug in the
| advice given to green un upon the occasion
| of his first transatlantic trip 1 crammed on
| How to Travel" and was kindly overwhelmed
with hints as to what to do and how to do it.
Now, the simple fact of the matter is. that there
is nothing special to be guarded against pro-
vided for If you start out from
New York dressed in your thick
winter clothes. ana with heavy fan
nes-which is the burden of all the advice-you
will be apt to lose your temper and your arctic
| outfit at early moment. It very hot
| the Goth of June, when the City of Rome left
her pier at New York city, and for at least two
| days out not much extra clothing was needed
| beyond what you would travel in on land
an inland lake. On the third day the fannels and
the winter overcoat were comfortable. but only
| until ''land was smelled" the seventh day;
then return to land apparel was necessary for
| comfort. have these heavy flannels aud over
| coat at hand to put when needed; but the
| voyage would have been very unpleasant if
| taken throughout in the same clothing. And
| then you do not have to 'shuck" your courtesy
| when you leave port. The City of Rome, at
| least is not manned by pirates, and you do not
| have to be pirate to keep even. 1t is not
| necessary to be hog because you are among
hogs. and must, therefore, do as hogs do. did
| not find any body who could 'hold a. candle" to
| those precious people in the United States. who
| invariably usurp two whole seats in q railway
| car with themselves and their bundles and as to
| servants and fees the Pullman porters could
| readily give points to the meek-mannered
| stewards who are on the 'Rome's" muster. The
| fellows did not stand in double ranks with clubs
| in their hands demand "backsheesh" On
| the ontrary, they were kindly and helpful, and
| a gentleman was not expected to Tip" them
| any more than his own sense OF the value OF
| their service will suggest. I want to emphasize
this particularly. Il is the almost uniform ad
vice of travelled" men, whether in books
| otherwise that a person must divest himself of
| his gentlemanliness when he embarks on
| Atlantic steamer; that he must scowl and
| ssdamn his eyes" on all occasions, and generally
| disport himself in accordance with the ideal
! conception of the brutal ''cockney,' who, it is
| claimed, has set the fashion on the high seas
| and in foreign lands The ''contin ent' is yet a
! terra incognita, but far. and especially
| shipboard It seems to me that gentleman may
| be a gentleman still. and fare better than if he
assumes the virtue q of hoggishness. You will
| also find every convenience on board ship If
you have taken the greater part of your funds
| in letter of credit, and have only in cash suf-
icient to carry you for short time after landing.
the purser will convert your American money
/ into English without charge Indeed. the ships
| business is conducted, from captain cabin
boy, in the interest of the passengers. and you
| will find every reasonable convenience and COM
| fort. Life shipboard depends much on the
| state of the weather II the weather is bad and
| the sea rough 1 fancy the majority of passengers
| are of the opinion that it is not all of life to
| live nor all. of death to die; and even on
soomth and pleasant voyage. such as was ours.
there are not a few to whom the questions Of how
| to dress and what to amuse yourself with are
| of but little moment A ships company is made